Simon RushworthFinnish glam rock superstars Hanoi Rocks finally called it a day in the UK last week with a farewell show in Newcastle. rushonrock was there every step of the way and we were granted exclusive access to charismatic frontman Mike Monroe. This is the first part of a very special chat…
rushonrock: So why bring this glorious journey to an end?
Mike Monroe: We haven’t been going much further with Hanoi for a while. Me and Andy hadn’t been writing anything for some time so we decided to call it a day. We haven’t been hanging out much any more and it just seems like it’s time to move on, on our own. It’s time to do some different stuff independent of each other. It’s not like we’re connected in the same way as were in the beginning. But we were determined to end it on a high note and it seems like the right time to stop.
rushonrock: Couldn’t either yourself or Andy have kept the name and carried on?
MM: There was never any chance of one or the other of us carrying on with the Hanoi name. It’s our band. It was always me and Andy and he wouldn’t do it without me just like I wouldn’t do it without him. It would be wrong.
rushonrock: Why will the end of Hanoi be best for all concerned?
MM: There’s an association with the 80s glam scene which I’d also like to get away from. I managed to do that with my solo thing when I moved towards a harder edged sound. Not as glam. It’s been fun to do this for a few more years but I’m tired of the whole glam thing. Some places we play you see a real passion for prolonging the 80s. It’s like long live the 80s. It’s one of the things that I feel is a negative aspect of playing with Hanoi. But we’re still a great band and we made some great records.
rushronrock: Street Poetry is a great album to sign off on but how did it take shape?
MM: The last album [Street Poetry] is a record we’re very proud of. A lot of the ideas on the new record were old ideas. A lot of the best riffs and choruses had been sitting around for a long, long time. Take Teenage Revolution – that’s a chorus Andy has had since as far back as the 70s. We just took the opportunity to finish a lot of old stuff and bring it up to scratch. Hypermobile is one of my favourite Hanoi songs. It’s rocking. I identify with that type of song much more than the reggae or funk-style stuff we’ve dabbled with in the past.
rushonrock: There must have been pressure to produce a ‘typical’ Hanoi record.
MM: Whenever I make a record I never make an effort to sound like anything I’ve done before. I just go with what feels right at the time. I have no regrets when I listen to any of my records. I had a lot of good songs ready for Street Poetry and my last solo album Whatcha Want would have been very different had I not saved the five best songs I had at the time and used them on the latest Hanoi record. People got kicks out of Street Poetry and it was done in a cool style.
rushonrock: This isn’t the first time Hanoi have split. Do you wish you’d stuck with the band first time around?
MM: There was no question that we could have carried on in the mid 80s. Our drummer died, our bass player quit and neither me nor Andy were together enough at the time to keep things going. Maybe if the management at the time had allowed it, or we could have afforded it, we should have taken some time off and then Hanoi might have survived. If we had taken a break, grieved in our own way and come back later it could have been different. But at that point me and Andy just weren’t getting along and we weren’t connecting on any level.
rushonrock: Just how bad did it get?
MM: It was just like the whole thing died. The direction the band was going in and with all the new guys coming in – it was totally wrong. Everybody involved behind the scenes at that stage was totally wrong. It wasn’t about Hanoi Rocks anymore. We were trying to keep alive the memory of a great band but instead we were murdering it. It was definitely the right decision to split at the time and for different reasons altogether it’s the right reason to stop now.
rushonrock: If, as seems to be the case, Hanoi Rocks will never play a UK show again how does that feel?
MM: We’ve played the last show in England and I still don’t know how it feels. A show is a show but before that one in Newcastle it did feel a bit more emotional than most. It felt good playing with the guys in the UK for the last time. Maybe it’s been more fun knowing it would be the last time as opposed to thinking there’ll always be the next time. We’ve upped our game and it’s been cool.
rushonrock: Have the fans been with you or against you?
MM: The UK shows were great. The crowds were excellent. There’s been a lot of good emotions and a few bad reactions. We’ve had a couple of people crying at gigs but not as bad as in Finland. Back home we played a few under-age shows and kids who have only just got into Hanoi were crying their eyes out. I kept telling them that it’s not like anyone has died!
Catch the second part of this sensational interview on rushonrock tomorrow when Mike talks about his future, his bid to save the Baltic Sea and his friends in the North!